He wants starting money and the Steelers are ready to try Adams and Gilbert there. THey can not afford starting money for a swing tackle._________________
"You build with draft choices. You find people with talents adaptable to your plans and then you teach them to do things the way we do them." - Chuck Noll

One of the most disrespected players I've seen in a while. He's a quality left tackle yet consistently gets treated like he's absolute garbage. I'll never understand it

Actually, over the last 4 years or so, most people have regarded him as an average/solid player, which is what he is. The Steeler fans that act like he is garbage are usually the ones that treat any player that isnt elite/great like garbage, and the outside fans that dont like him are usually casual fans who dont watch the Steelers and just assume he sucks because of how bad our line has been.

I never really like Max as an RT...was content with him as an LT, but if there is one reason I didnt like him, it was because he is lazy. I always hear people hating on Jon Dwyer for showing up fat...well, thats exactly what Starks did too._________________

pnies20 wrote:

I know I'm one of the biggest trolls on here, but dont call me on it. I can dish it but cant take it.

I recall thinking it was a total joke when he lost his starting job to colon at Rt many years ago. Starks was never great and never looked the part but the dude gave us some pretty "above the bar" play for many years when he got the chance. We should have had him locked up more so than guys like colon over the years. I wish Max could have reitred a Steeler.

Starks has no one but himself to blame for that.

He was average and inconsistent at RT and in general was just lazy with conditioning issues. He improved his play at LT but still had conditioning issues, which is a big reason he ended up getting cut a few years ago. Why would you want to lock a guy up like that who isnt dependable enough to show up in shape? Colon sucked, but he was reportedly a very hard worker, which I respect.

Starks was a better player than Colon ever was, but still not a player Id want to lock up long term...simply because I dont trust him. Apparently, our front office felt the same, and given the lack of interest in him over the years he has hit FA, I am guessing the feeling is shared by many teams.

Meh, Starks out of shape was a better football player than Colon ever was. It isn't the gym shorts olympics. Given that we locked up colon long term i think Starks would have been a better call. colon had no position in the NFL. Give me the guy that showed up on sundays.

Out of shape is out of shape....it doesnt matter what you are wearing.

First off, you say Starks shouldve got an extension over Colon, when the fact is, he DID get an extension before Colon.....

...and he wouldve kept it and probably got another if HE didnt lose the front offices trust by balooning up like Stay Puft.

Secondly, Starks was not much better of an RT than Colon. He got completely abused in 2006 when we started passing more. The only thing that made Colon worse at RT was all the penalties. Ignoring penalties, Starks wasnt much better. Starks found his niche when he moved to LT.

Third, your logic is flawed because the Steelers didnt put him on the field when he wasnt conditioned enough to play. He showed up to camp in 2007 fat and out of shape and they basically handed the job to Colon. Then, after getting the LT position and getting a decent extension in 2009, he showed up out of shape again in 2010, and then balooned up again going into 2011, which led to him being cut.

So, yeah....the Steelers gave him an extension and probably wouldve gave him another one if he was more dependable. Just because he was a better player than Colon when he WAS in shape doesnt mean he was worth giving a long term deal too. Thats like saying "This car breaks down all the time, but I'll buy it because it runs well when its working".

And just for the record, I am not defending the Colon extension a few years ago. One of the worst signings we made in recent memory IMO...but Starks blew his opportunities all by himself. Colon's suckage doesnt mean Starks deserved a longer deal. it means neither deserved it.

And playing better football is playing better football. Starks has been much better over his career than Colon has.

In the time period I am reffering to Starks was not given a long term extension in the same manner Colon was. A succession of one year deals, some of them even after the season started. Colon was handed money he never earned in his long term extension and he was handed money he never showed any sign of being able to earn and on that we agree.

Agreed Starks was better at LT and RT and I called that back then. That was his natural college position and apparently him being left handed helped with this too although I don't give that a lot of cred.. Point is that Starks was still better at RT and him getting benched in favor of Colon that year was a bad call pointed out by many of us at that time.

I get it. You have to voice your opinion about every post. Let's just agree to disagree._________________Stay thirsty my friends.

I recall thinking it was a total joke when he lost his starting job to colon at Rt many years ago. Starks was never great and never looked the part but the dude gave us some pretty "above the bar" play for many years when he got the chance. We should have had him locked up more so than guys like colon over the years. I wish Max could have reitred a Steeler.

Starks has no one but himself to blame for that.

He was average and inconsistent at RT and in general was just lazy with conditioning issues. He improved his play at LT but still had conditioning issues, which is a big reason he ended up getting cut a few years ago. Why would you want to lock a guy up like that who isnt dependable enough to show up in shape? Colon sucked, but he was reportedly a very hard worker, which I respect.

Starks was a better player than Colon ever was, but still not a player Id want to lock up long term...simply because I dont trust him. Apparently, our front office felt the same, and given the lack of interest in him over the years he has hit FA, I am guessing the feeling is shared by many teams.

Meh, Starks out of shape was a better football player than Colon ever was. It isn't the gym shorts olympics. Given that we locked up colon long term i think Starks would have been a better call. colon had no position in the NFL. Give me the guy that showed up on sundays.

Out of shape is out of shape....it doesnt matter what you are wearing.

First off, you say Starks shouldve got an extension over Colon, when the fact is, he DID get an extension before Colon.....

...and he wouldve kept it and probably got another if HE didnt lose the front offices trust by balooning up like Stay Puft.

Secondly, Starks was not much better of an RT than Colon. He got completely abused in 2006 when we started passing more. The only thing that made Colon worse at RT was all the penalties. Ignoring penalties, Starks wasnt much better. Starks found his niche when he moved to LT.

Third, your logic is flawed because the Steelers didnt put him on the field when he wasnt conditioned enough to play. He showed up to camp in 2007 fat and out of shape and they basically handed the job to Colon. Then, after getting the LT position and getting a decent extension in 2009, he showed up out of shape again in 2010, and then balooned up again going into 2011, which led to him being cut.

So, yeah....the Steelers gave him an extension and probably wouldve gave him another one if he was more dependable. Just because he was a better player than Colon when he WAS in shape doesnt mean he was worth giving a long term deal too. Thats like saying "This car breaks down all the time, but I'll buy it because it runs well when its working".

And just for the record, I am not defending the Colon extension a few years ago. One of the worst signings we made in recent memory IMO...but Starks blew his opportunities all by himself. Colon's suckage doesnt mean Starks deserved a longer deal. it means neither deserved it.

And playing better football is playing better football. Starks has been much better over his career than Colon has.

In the time period I am referring to Starks was not given a long term extension in the same manner Colon was. A succession of one year deals, some of them even after the season started. Colon was handed money he never earned in his long term extension and he was handed money he never showed any sign of being able to earn and on that we agree.

Agreed Starks was better at LT and RT and I called that back then. That was his natural college position and apparently him being left handed helped with this too although I don't give that a lot of cred.. Point is that Starks was still better at RT and him getting benched in favor of Colon that year was a bad call pointed out by many of us at that time.

I get it. You have to voice your opinion about every post. Let's just agree to disagree.

I recall thinking it was a total joke when he lost his starting job to colon at Rt many years ago. Starks was never great and never looked the part but the dude gave us some pretty "above the bar" play for many years when he got the chance. We should have had him locked up more so than guys like colon over the years. I wish Max could have reitred a Steeler.

Starks has no one but himself to blame for that.

He was average and inconsistent at RT and in general was just lazy with conditioning issues. He improved his play at LT but still had conditioning issues, which is a big reason he ended up getting cut a few years ago. Why would you want to lock a guy up like that who isnt dependable enough to show up in shape? Colon sucked, but he was reportedly a very hard worker, which I respect.

Starks was a better player than Colon ever was, but still not a player Id want to lock up long term...simply because I dont trust him. Apparently, our front office felt the same, and given the lack of interest in him over the years he has hit FA, I am guessing the feeling is shared by many teams.

Meh, Starks out of shape was a better football player than Colon ever was. It isn't the gym shorts olympics. Given that we locked up colon long term i think Starks would have been a better call. colon had no position in the NFL. Give me the guy that showed up on sundays.

Out of shape is out of shape....it doesnt matter what you are wearing.

First off, you say Starks shouldve got an extension over Colon, when the fact is, he DID get an extension before Colon.....

...and he wouldve kept it and probably got another if HE didnt lose the front offices trust by balooning up like Stay Puft.

Secondly, Starks was not much better of an RT than Colon. He got completely abused in 2006 when we started passing more. The only thing that made Colon worse at RT was all the penalties. Ignoring penalties, Starks wasnt much better. Starks found his niche when he moved to LT.

Third, your logic is flawed because the Steelers didnt put him on the field when he wasnt conditioned enough to play. He showed up to camp in 2007 fat and out of shape and they basically handed the job to Colon. Then, after getting the LT position and getting a decent extension in 2009, he showed up out of shape again in 2010, and then balooned up again going into 2011, which led to him being cut.

So, yeah....the Steelers gave him an extension and probably wouldve gave him another one if he was more dependable. Just because he was a better player than Colon when he WAS in shape doesnt mean he was worth giving a long term deal too. Thats like saying "This car breaks down all the time, but I'll buy it because it runs well when its working".

And just for the record, I am not defending the Colon extension a few years ago. One of the worst signings we made in recent memory IMO...but Starks blew his opportunities all by himself. Colon's suckage doesnt mean Starks deserved a longer deal. it means neither deserved it.

And playing better football is playing better football. Starks has been much better over his career than Colon has.

In the time period I am referring to Starks was not given a long term extension in the same manner Colon was. A succession of one year deals, some of them even after the season started. Colon was handed money he never earned in his long term extension and he was handed money he never showed any sign of being able to earn and on that we agree.

Agreed Starks was better at LT and RT and I called that back then. That was his natural college position and apparently him being left handed helped with this too although I don't give that a lot of cred.. Point is that Starks was still better at RT and him getting benched in favor of Colon that year was a bad call pointed out by many of us at that time.

I get it. You have to voice your opinion about every post. Let's just agree to disagree.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract, according to a source.

Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.

The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh's cap room.

Yeah, i am aware of that one. I am referring to the years following where we got him on 1 year deals. We also terminated that one quickly as i recall. In comparing Starks to Colon and how they got their deals I find it interesting how colon was injured but we signed him to a long term deal that we all seem to know was bad when it occured. Starks was just said to be lazy in the off season so lost his RT job to a player that had not shown himself to be superior and ultimatley ended up making a plethora of errors._________________Stay thirsty my friends.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract, according to a source.

Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.

The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh's cap room.

Yeah, i am aware of that one. I am referring to the years following where we got him on 1 year deals. We also terminated that one quickly as i recall.In comparing Starks to Colon and how they got their deals I find it interesting how colon was injured but we signed him to a long term deal that we all seem to know was bad when it occured. Starks was just said to be lazy in the off season so lost his RT job to a player that had not shown himself to be superior and ultimatley ended up making a plethora of errors.

Starks' contract was terminated after the season he injured his neck and it was a question as to whether he would ever play again. When was that 2010?

Then he came back and played ok and the team drafted Gilbert, if I remember correctly. They also gave Jonathan Scott and Tony Hills chances to win the starting job, when they didn't look good, Starks was re-signed. Then Starks tore his ACL in the 2011 playoff game vs Denver.

The Colon contract was a mistake. Everyone knows that. They've treated the Starks situation in the correct way, actually they should treat Colon the way they did Starks. The problem was they didn't predict his injuries, but its impossible to do so._________________RIP SSFmike23md

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract, according to a source.

Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.

The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh's cap room.

Yeah, i am aware of that one. I am referring to the years following where we got him on 1 year deals. We also terminated that one quickly as i recall.In comparing Starks to Colon and how they got their deals I find it interesting how colon was injured but we signed him to a long term deal that we all seem to know was bad when it occured. Starks was just said to be lazy in the off season so lost his RT job to a player that had not shown himself to be superior and ultimatley ended up making a plethora of errors.

Starks' contract was terminated after the season he injured his neck and it was a question as to whether he would ever play again. When was that 2010?

Then he came back and played ok and the team drafted Gilbert, if I remember correctly. They also gave Jonathan Scott and Tony Hills chances to win the starting job, when they didn't look good, Starks was re-signed. Then Starks tore his ACL in the 2011 playoff game vs Denver.

The Colon contract was a mistake. Everyone knows that. They've treated the Starks situation in the correct way, actually they should treat Colon the way they did Starks. The problem was they didn't predict his injuries, but its impossible to do so.

First off Turtle thank you for your mature debate.

I do think though that given the effect on the cap the year he was cut due to the effect of the signing bonus plus the large dollar figures he garnered on some of the early yearly deals when he got afterwards make him the second most mismanged cap team members. Likley secondly only to Colon. Granted that is with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight but the moves were questioned by many when they were made._________________Stay thirsty my friends.

I think the most telling statement on Starks' quality of play last season and how he is viewed in NFL circles is the fact that he is still sitting on the FA market in a league desperate for LT's.

If Starks was viewed as a starting quality player at LT teams would certainly be doing more than having him in for an interview and letting him leave without a contract, ala San Diego. Teams would also actually be bringing him in for visits and to date, the only visit that has been reported is again with San Diego.

Supply and demand tells the story on Starks' talent level at this point. In a league where demand for LT's is tremendous and the supply miniscule...Starks still cannot generate interest. His asking price may be a part of the picture, but he still has gotten just the single visit to possibly the most OL needy team in the league and he left without anything getting done.

In saying that, none of that diminishes that he put in some quality time for the Steelers. He held down the spot adequately for several seasons. No disrespect intended for the guy. Hell I have argued he was a top ten LT in the past, wrongly in retrospect, but I value his contributions as much as the next guy.

At this point in time though, the market is telling us what he is in the NFL's eyes regardless of our personal feelings._________________

"Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself."

I think the most telling statement on Starks' quality of play last season and how he is viewed in NFL circles is the fact that he is still sitting on the FA market in a league desperate for LT's.

If Starks was viewed as a starting quality player at LT teams would certainly be doing more than having him in for an interview and letting him leave without a contract, ala San Diego. Teams would also actually be bringing him in for visits and to date, the only visit that has been reported is again with San Diego.

Supply and demand tells the story on Starks' talent level at this point. In a league where demand for LT's is tremendous and the supply miniscule...Starks still cannot generate interest. His asking price may be a part of the picture, but he still has gotten just the single visit to possibly the most OL needy team in the league and he left without anything getting done.

In saying that, none of that diminishes that he put in some quality time for the Steelers. He held down the spot adequately for several seasons. No disrespect intended for the guy. Hell I have argued he was a top ten LT in the past, wrongly in retrospect, but I value his contributions as much as the next guy.

At this point in time though, the market is telling us what he is in the NFL's eyes regardless of our personal feelings.

Good post, and I agree with most of it.

However, as I alluded to, I dont think him still being a FA has as much to do with his play on the field as it does what he seems to do off of it. From a pure football standpoint, he is an upgrade over many LTs in this league and could even play RT still. BUT, like I said, I dont think there is much trust there. I dont think teams are confident enough that he will be a dependable player in terms of staying focused on football year round and staying in shape. If he was, I believe he would still be a Steeler. However, now he struggling to find work, and even if a team does sign him, the rest of his career is going to be a series of 1 or 2 year contracts. His age factors in now, but he AND HE ALONE butchered his chance at having financial security and a stable team for multiple years._________________

pnies20 wrote:

I know I'm one of the biggest trolls on here, but dont call me on it. I can dish it but cant take it.

I think the most telling statement on Starks' quality of play last season and how he is viewed in NFL circles is the fact that he is still sitting on the FA market in a league desperate for LT's.

If Starks was viewed as a starting quality player at LT teams would certainly be doing more than having him in for an interview and letting him leave without a contract, ala San Diego. Teams would also actually be bringing him in for visits and to date, the only visit that has been reported is again with San Diego.

Supply and demand tells the story on Starks' talent level at this point. In a league where demand for LT's is tremendous and the supply miniscule...Starks still cannot generate interest. His asking price may be a part of the picture, but he still has gotten just the single visit to possibly the most OL needy team in the league and he left without anything getting done.

In saying that, none of that diminishes that he put in some quality time for the Steelers. He held down the spot adequately for several seasons. No disrespect intended for the guy. Hell I have argued he was a top ten LT in the past, wrongly in retrospect, but I value his contributions as much as the next guy.

At this point in time though, the market is telling us what he is in the NFL's eyes regardless of our personal feelings.

Good post, and I agree with most of it.

However, as I alluded to, I dont think him still being a FA has as much to do with his play on the field as it does what he seems to do off of it. From a pure football standpoint, he is an upgrade over many LTs in this league and could even play RT still. BUT, like I said, I dont think there is much trust there. I dont think teams are confident enough that he will be a dependable player in terms of staying focused on football year round and staying in shape. If he was, I believe he would still be a Steeler. However, now he struggling to find work, and even if a team does sign him, the rest of his career is going to be a series of 1 or 2 year contracts. His age factors in now, but he AND HE ALONE butchered his chance at having financial security and a stable team for multiple years.

Essentially agree with this, as off the field stuff definitely plays a role in teams being hesitant to hook him up. I do think his on field showing is the primary culprit however.

Totally agree with his potential motivational issues as a factor in still being on the market. Wouldn't be surprised to hear he's 370 or so right now. He's a smart guy though so he's probably in reasonable shape while he is looking for a job. Once he's signed he'll train at the buffet table for sure.

May be my opinion only but I disagree that he's an upgrade over many LT's in the league. I think he's a guy who goes into camp and has to compete for a job on any roster out there._________________

"Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself."

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract, according to a source.

Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.

The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh's cap room.

Yeah, i am aware of that one. I am referring to the years following where we got him on 1 year deals. We also terminated that one quickly as i recall.In comparing Starks to Colon and how they got their deals I find it interesting how colon was injured but we signed him to a long term deal that we all seem to know was bad when it occured. Starks was just said to be lazy in the off season so lost his RT job to a player that had not shown himself to be superior and ultimatley ended up making a plethora of errors.

Starks' contract was terminated after the season he injured his neck and it was a question as to whether he would ever play again. When was that 2010?

Then he came back and played ok and the team drafted Gilbert, if I remember correctly. They also gave Jonathan Scott and Tony Hills chances to win the starting job, when they didn't look good, Starks was re-signed. Then Starks tore his ACL in the 2011 playoff game vs Denver.

The Colon contract was a mistake. Everyone knows that. They've treated the Starks situation in the correct way, actually they should treat Colon the way they did Starks. The problem was they didn't predict his injuries, but its impossible to do so.

First off Turtle thank you for your mature debate.

I do think though that given the effect on the cap the year he was cut due to the effect of the signing bonus plus the large dollar figures he garnered on some of the early yearly deals when he got afterwards make him the second most mismanged cap team members. Likley secondly only to Colon. Granted that is with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight but the moves were questioned by many when they were made.

Yep. I totally agree, but its hard to fault the front office also for believing they had found book end tackles after the 09 season. It certainly looked like they was possible after that season. I mean I thought both players had just entered their primes and they'd only get better over the next 4 or 5 years. Injuries happened and it sucked and derailed their careers and killed the Steelers cap and OL because neither Starks nor Colon could stay healthy and the team had invested a lot in them.

It's unfortunate, again though, it couldn't have been predicted. It's easy to blame the front office I guess it wasn't really anyone's fault what transpired with them, it was just unfortunate._________________RIP SSFmike23md

Starks signed a one-year contract with the Chargers today. ESPN article posted his weight at 345lbs. I assume that is based on his "Roster" weight. There were no details on the $$$$ involved. Interestingly, the article mentioned that Gaither was released in part because of his poor work ethic. We'll see how Starks works out_________________

CKSteeler wrote:

And no, truth is not a 'fact.' Which is why they are two different words.

Starks signed a one-year contract with the Chargers today. ESPN article posted his weight at 345lbs. I assume that is based on his "Roster" weight. There were no details on the $$$$ involved. Interestingly, the article mentioned that Gaither was released in part because of his poor work ethic. We'll see how Starks works out

im sure he'll be ok in SD, certainly better than what they had the last few years.

The steelers needed to move on from Starks though because they need one of these young two tackles to get an entire season to start at LT and then they'll know going into next season whether they have to address the position high again in the 2014 draft or not. It's truly the only way of knowing_________________RIP SSFmike23md

Starks signed a one-year contract with the Chargers today. ESPN article posted his weight at 345lbs. I assume that is based on his "Roster" weight. There were no details on the $$$$ involved. Interestingly, the article mentioned that Gaither was released in part because of his poor work ethic. We'll see how Starks works out

im sure he'll be ok in SD, certainly better than what they had the last few years.

The steelers needed to move on from Starks though because they need one of these young two tackles to get an entire season to start at LT and then they'll know going into next season whether they have to address the position high again in the 2014 draft or not. It's truly the only way of knowing

Agreed...Rivers should be thrilled with this signing...Max does well enough in a man blocking scheme...and certainly better than what they had before. Good signing for SD, but not necessarily a loss for us seeing that he just no longer fits our blocking scheme with the purported change we are making this year._________________